Ben Barnes Replacing Sam Claflin In The Seventh Son

Ben Barnes seemed destined for stardom when he was cast back in 2007 to play Prince Caspian, the titular character in the second installment of what was then the hugely successful Chronicles of Narnia franchise. It didn't exactly work out for him the way, say, playing Jake Sully in AvatarPrince Caspian and its sequel, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, were only modest successes, and Barnes has booked a handful of other roles in the meantime, though none that became all that prominent.

That may be about to change, though, as Barnes signs on for another potentially large franchise based on a children's book. Variety reports that He's signed on to star in The Seventh Son, an adaptation of the book by Joseph Delaney about a young man who trains with an exorcist known as "The Spook" (to be played by Jeff Bridges). Julianne Moore is also on board to play the evil witch whom the young man accidentally releases. At one point Alex Pettyfer had been signed on for the role, and Barnes will apparently be replacing Sam Claflin, who may be too busy shooting Snow White and the Huntsman to make The Seventh Son work.

It's unclear when shooting on this will begin, though with his 30th birthday coming this August, Barnes is already a little old to be playing the lead character in a movie intended for children. He'll be in good company with his co-stars, though; if Jeff Bridges could make his own de-aged role in Tron: Legacy believable, maybe he can help Barnes shed a few years too.